Regrets and Rewards
by ConsumedHatred
Summary: Nero is driven crazy by an itching and pulsing Devil Bringer, his mind reeling and his senses disturbed. He leaves the apartment in hopes of finding demons to slay, but he never expected to end up in an ancient demonic temple out in the forest. Assaulted by demons he sees a demonic seal near a broken altar, someone is crawling out of it. But who? YAOI, smut, violence, swearing etc.
1. Reeling senses

**Reeling senses!  
**

Nero was pacing around his apartment in Capulet city. He'd been restless all day, and his devil bringer was pulsing and itching and frankly it was driving him insane. It had never acted like that before, only for a short while after he absorbed something new into it but that hadn't happened for quite some time. Nero stopped by his saloon table abruptly and rubbed at his nose in an irritated fashion, a displeased growl ripping from his lips.

His senses were tingling, and his mind was reeling. He couldn't seem to focus on anything, he just had this nagging feeling that something was about to happen. At the moment he really wished Dante would call him out to help with a mission, and he had been glaring at the phone every second minute for the past two hours now.

There was even a cold sweat covering his skin and his pulse was higher than normal, and it just wouldn't go down no matter how many times he sat down and evened out his breathing. And to make matters worse the itching in his demonic hand was getting worse every second, and scratching it with his human hand did not do much to sate it.

Maybe he'd just go outside for a stroll and hope that some unlucky demons would be nearby? Yeah that sounded like a good plan, he needed to blow off some steam so he could calm down. Maybe the bringer would stop bothering him if it tasted some demon blood. With an annoyed grumble he hooked Red Queen off of its wall stand and secured her to his back, before picking up Blue Rose and sliding her into the holster.

He took a second to look in the mirror, and frowned when his eyes automatically went to the empty spots where the symbols of the order were once embroidered into the sleeves of his coat. As hard as he tried he could not forget Fortuna and the order of the sword. Even though he had been harshly exiled after the Savior incident because somehow people thought he had corrupted Sanctus so that he did what he had done, it still stung in his heart whenever he thought about his childhood home.

He had left behind his adoptive sister whom had fought hard for him to be able to stay, but to no use. Kyrie had been crying when she was forced to look at his back as he walked through the gates of Fortuna City and onto the ferry, never to return again unless there was a change of government on the island.

He shrugged the unsettling feelings off and stomped over to the door, the heavy thumps of his leather boots echoing through the room. He quickly entered into the hallway and locked the door behind him, before making the floor cringe and wail under his weight as he scurried down to the staircase. He jogged down and instinctively jumped over the steps he had memorized were unstable, and he soon found himself in the shabby parking lot of his small apartment building.

He contemplated riding into town on Kuroi, his beloved classic Harley Davidson but he let the idea go, thinking he would blow off more steam by walking. With a frustrated sigh he headed into the murky streets of Capulet, the stench of slum and car exhaust clamping around his sensitive nose which scrunched up of its own will.

He growled loudly and began trudging down the less than clean streets of the shithole of a city, his nose alert to any scent similar to that of a demon's. As he moved down the sidewalk shuffling through the crowd of people hurrying home from work, he became aware of the fact that his bringer grew calmer and calmer the further down he got.

He scowled as it was odd, normally it would act the opposite and grow more and more uneasy the closer he came to something of inhuman origin. He began eyeing his surroundings more closely, and as he moved down different streets he tried to focus on his demonic arm reacted to his choice of paths. Whenever the itching and pulsing increased he decided he was off the trail and began walking back until the arm calmed again.

After following his demonic powers directions for a good amount of 15 minutes he was almost out of the city. He stopped when he passed the last of buildings the city had and stepped out into untamed fields with trees growing randomly here and there. Out of public view he finally unwrapped his devil bringer and paid attention to the strength of its glow.

He followed his hunches and soon found himself at the entrance to a scarce forest which looked more dead than alive, the only sign of live being dull green and murky vines which slung around dried out trees with crooked branches. The forest had a very dark and looming aura, and Nero was up to full alert in an instant as he continued to follow his bringer further and further into the dying forest.

The bringer shone the brightest when he arrived at moss covered ruins of what appeared to be an ancient temple, a cracked and barely standing altar in the middle of a bridge stone circle. Nero frowned deeply and began walking around the altar, noticing the demonic writing which was scratched into the aged stone. He couldn't actually read the demonic language, not much anyway. But he did speak some, and could read simple sentences but the words written on the altar were far too complicated for him.

When he let the claws of his bringer drag across the edge of the carved dent in the altar he immediately drew it back as blaring shots of pain went through the arm. That was really odd, as he rarely felt pain in the arm at all, the only weapon capable of harming it stored safely inside it. He growled and decided to use his human hand instead, wincing when he somehow scratched his finger on a sharp flint of stone.

He snorted at himself and brought the finger to his lips to lick the blood off, but halted the action as the inscriptions on the altar lit up in a bright crimson color. Whispers in an ancient demonic language followed and Nero's stance hunched over, as he readied himself to spring at any danger. He raised his devil bringer just in time to block the attack of a scarecrow which appeared suddenly in mid-air, and he found himself skidding back from the force of the impact. He growled loudly and untangled his bringer from the rusted blade and raised Blue Rose, planting two bullets in the head of the demon in response.

The first demon was followed up by friends and Nero soon found himself amidst a giant mob of different demons. There were frost, blitz, scarecrows and many others and he had a hard time fighting them all off as they were stronger than the usual. In between the fighting Nero's keen eyes noticed that the whole circle of stone around the altar was now glowing as well, and a seal of some sort replaced the altar.

He kept eying the seal out of the corner of his eye while he fended off the demons, and was shocked when he saw a pale and bloodied hand shoot out of the seal. The fingers hooked themselves to the nearest stone and soon an elbow emerged as the hand obviously tried to drag its body out of the seal. Nero winced when he felt Yamato shrieking inside his mind, clawing to get out of his bringer but unable to.

He scowled before firing the two remaining shots of Blue Rose professionally extinguishing two more scarecrows before he quickly reloaded his beloved revolver. As much stamina and endurance as he had, a half devil had his limits and Nero was beginning to tire. There was your fair share of demons in Capulet, but with 3 demon slayers in the city the number of enemies Nero had dropped noticeably. He hadn't had enough competition to keep up a mint condition, and he was a bit out of shape to be honest.

He was panting now and was about to finish off a Blitz when the demon simply blew up on its own. Nero growled when he felt a heavy presence of evil and the emerging body in the seal was half forgotten as he eyed the swirling vortex of black which appeared before him. His eyes widened as a huge clawed hand shot out of the vortex aiming straight for him.

Nero shuffled back and made distance between him and the demon emerging panting heavily, his feet shaking from the effort of keeping up against the barrage of demons from earlier. The demon which crawled out of the vortex was of the kind Nero had only fought once before, and that was together with Dante. This was a top class demon that lorded over the lesser ones.

The beast was huge, probably 4 meters tall at the shoulders; four legged with a long and deadly looking tail which was probably venomous. It was armored, and its mouth was equipped with long saw like teeth reminding him of a shark. It had crooked horns growing from its forehead, and a long split tongue hung out of its mouth, saliva dripping from it burning the spit, that's nice Nero thought as he eyed his opponent.

The demon had a feline like build, and the tail curled upwards like that of a scorpion with spikes protruding from it, obviously made to be shot out. To top it all of it was heavily armored and Nero could only spot a few vulnerable places in which he could strike with his sword or hit with his revolver.

His eyes flashed red for a second at the challenge the demon presented and he readied himself for a long and tiring battle, not aware that two ice blue eyes were staring at him as he engaged in combat with the high ranking demon.

**~~~~Regrets and Rewards~~~~**

(A/U: This is kind of a POV for the person crawling out of that seal)

He was aching all over, his body battered and bruised and his beloved blue coat torn to shreds by the claws of hell. He was panting heavily and felt incredibly tired, yet he had no trouble observing the fight before him. He was observing the young human with the demonic arm closely. He'd already made up a theory as to how the young man had a demonic arm; he was probably some useless human experiment if his hunch was right.

He wanted to hiss but his throat was incredibly dry, humans did not deserve to wield the power of a demon. It was a disgrace to their breed and he already had distaste for the silver haired man. He would applaud him though for having magnificent control over the power and not having been overtaken by it.

He was too tired to realize how similar they looked, besides he had not seen himself in a mirror in ages so his memory of how he looked himself were fuzzy. He knew he was a near perfect copy of his younger twin, but his memories of Dante had gone murky as well given the time he had spent locked up in hell.

Temen-ni-gru was still fresh in his mind, and he had been given a long time to mull over the actions he had taken. He still didn't like humans much, but he realized he had been extremely cruel to his little brother, it even went as far as to him feeling guilt for the pain he inflicted upon his own brother.

He was shaken out of his mulling by a particularly loud crash and a heavy tremor in the ground and he tried to find the reason. The one guilty trudged out of a large hole in the ground, covered in grass and mud as he stood up with a ferocious snarl baring fangs at the demon. He was amazed that the man had survived such a strong blow; humans with superficial demonic powers would have been crippled by such an attack.

The man smirked at the demon and decided to do something which brought memories of his brother to his mind. Like a gentleman the silver haired human twirled his hand and bowed before saying "shall we dance," with a smug smirk.

The demon roared and lunged itself at the man who only roared and raised his demonic arm. His eyes widened in shock when a large spectral hand appeared above the demonic one, and he cringed when the demon was sent flying a good 50 meters by the blow which the spectral hand delivered. Never the less the demon took little damage and this seemed to upset the man.

"Oh for fucks sake, can't life go easy on me for once!" he yelled in an exasperated voice throwing his hands up in the air with a childish pout. He wanted to snarl in distaste at the boy, which was so like a human, whining as soon as they were met with a tiny bit of resistance.

"I'm gonna be so beat after this," the man sighed and rubbed bashfully at his nose before taking a guarding stance.

As he observed he could feel demonic energy building up, and he looked over to the demon but it was not the source. His eyes skipped back to the young man and he realized the draw of energy was centered in the core of the sword wielding human.

The man then taunted the demon again and crouched down, waving the demon towards him with a "come on," before clapping his hands.

Dante used to taunt his enemies just like that, he remembered.

When the demon roared and charged at the human he didn't seem to want to move. What a fool, he was dead meat now he thought as he eyed the dueling pair. However the fangs of the demon never reached the man, as a huge burst of energy repelled the demon.

When the light settled and he could see the human again he froze. Hovering the air was no longer a human but a devil. The thick and spiky crimson demonic hive from the arm had grown and was now covering his chest, forearms, shins, thighs, feet and hip area, as well as his spine. The areas left open were covered in thin dark blue scales with golden linings.

What caught his eye the most however was the fact that amidst the thick crimson demon hive the pulsing veins had grown. They changed from a blinding white, to a striking ice blue with a slight purple tint all the way out in the tips. They all grew from the center of his chest.

His face was framed by a bone like crimson structure, a small horn adorning his chin and the corner of his jaws. Large black horns grew from his temples and angled backwards before going upwards in a slightly curved diagonal line. His eyes were glowing bright red, and large sturdy wings accompanied by a strong and deadly looking tail adorned his back.

The demon screeched and charged again, trying to sink its fangs into the male's jugular but with no luck as the thick red demon hive effectively blocked it. A guttural chuckle left the man turned demon's mouth before he lashed out with deadly talons. The demon dodged however, very agile despite its size and snarled dangerously at the young man.

"Stand still you little prick," the man growled and formed a spectral arm at his left this time, using it to grab the demon to pull it in. The demon was strong though and twisted out of the spectral grasp, but not before the devil managed to lay two deep slashes in an x across the demons chest with deadly blue talons.

The demon shrieked and staggered backwards a few steps, looking down at its chest as blue vein like patterns began growing from the slashes which actually hadn't penetrated the armor, but made enough of an impact to force it back.

He watched as a demonic grin spread across the devils face as he reached behind his back and drew a sword from out of nowhere. He scowled as he studied the back of the man turned devil and realized a sheath for the sword was built into the devil form. He figured there was probably a holster somewhere for that weird double barreled revolver.

Even though he did not like guns much, he found that he actually admired that beautifully crafted revolver. It had finesse and elegance and was not something to shoot of wildly like Dante did with his Ebony and Ivory twin semi-automatic pistols.

The sword the devil now held caught his interest. It was obviously not of demonic origin and he found himself to be quite taken by it. Although big with many assets which he thought were weird, like the air intake like holes on top of it, and what appeared to be a throttle at the beginning of the handle it looked beautiful with the red guard which was adorned by golden thorns. He also noticed that there seemed to be a thin line carved into the blade and he wondered what function it had, surely it made the blade harder to wield as it would create resistance in the was what he thought until the devil thrust the sword into the ground, a grin directed at the demon.

"This'll finish you off," he taunted and twisted the throttle like thing on the swords hilt.

He was amazed to find that the sword roared to life and vibrated in the ground, flames coming out of the air intake like construction atop of it and a red glowing substance flowing down that carved line to cover the blade's edge.

With a roar the human turned devil suddenly disappeared into thin air and reappeared in front of the demon, slashing in the middle of the cross he'd made earlier. The devil then jumped back and took on a laid back stance like he was waiting for something. His eyes widened when the demon wailed loudly and clutched at the cross on its chest, before it exploded into tiny bits. He watched as the devil transformation slipped from the male and he resumed his human form once more, panting and clearly exhausted from the use of the transformation.

"Damn, I really need to train with my trigger more," he groaned before cracking his neck and arching his back. That's when he finally remembered he had other company besides the demons he had just killed off, and turned his head to meet his gaze. He froze as those swirling blue eyes locked with his, and waited calmly when the male began walking up to him with an alert air to him.

**~~~~Regrets and Rewards~~~~**

Nero grinned when the demon exploded and sighed inwardly as he released his trigger and fell to the ground.

"Damn, I really need to train with my trigger more," he groused before cracking his neck and arching his back. He was shivering slightly from the energy drain using his devil trigger came with and wondered what he should do now.

His bringer was still itching and it pissed him off. That was when he remembered the demonic seal and the body which had tried to crawl out of it. He spun around on high alert, his gaze suddenly locked with ice blue eyes. Nero scowled and stood still for a while, eying the battered man with slashes and bruises all over.

His clothes were ruined and frankly he was in a bad state, he looked like he could die any second. He looked familiar somehow and Nero began inching closer slowly afraid to startle the man. Nero could sense he wasn't entirely human; there was a demonic aura to the person lying against the shattered altar. When he finally stood right in front of the silver haired man he froze as a painful sting went through his arm and a voice screeched inside his mind.

"Master!" it called and Nero winced, raising a hand to his temple in pain.

"What the hell," he groused and glared at his was Yamato that was calling, he knew because he could feel the sword stirring in his arm.

"Vergil Sparda, my master!" the sword cried inside his mind again and Nero's eyes shrank. He eyed the man before him sharply before kneeling down to his current eye level.

"Now I see why you seem so familiar. You look just like Dante," Nero said. "Vergil Sparda right?" Nero asked and only received a meek nod in response. "How did you escape from hell?" Nero asked.

Although he'd been in the middle of a fight he had still noticed the distinct style of the demonic seal which Vergil had crawled out of. There had been no doubt it was a hell seal, and escaping from hell was virtually impossible. Now Nero knew why Dante wouldn't tell him how his twin brother had disappeared. They had never talked much about Vergil, as it was obviously painful for Dante so Nero knew little about him.

He waited for the man to answer, and when he finally moved his lips all that came out was dry wheezing. Nero smirked and raised his nose into the air, trying to smell any water. He told Vergil to wait right there and then jogged out of the forest, returning five minutes later with a bottle of water. He gave it to the identical twin of Dante, and Vergil accepted the bottle and downed it elegantly. It was already clear that the older of the Sparda twins was more reserved, mannered and elegant. Nero was already beginning to like him for some weird reason.

"I do not need to answer to you human," Vergil spoke formally setting the bottle down beside him.

"Hey, I just saved your noble ass so please don't talk down to me. Besides I am not human," Nero snarled and eyed the man dangerously.

"You look human to me, that arm you have is superficial," Vergil argued.

"Now listen up you arrogant bastard, my arm is not superficial. It is authentic and a part of me, I'm half demon and half human just like you are," Nero growled with an exasperated voice.

That was when Yamato decided to act on its own again and sent another wave of pain up Nero's arm.

"Ouch, dammit!" Nero cursed at the sword distracted from his little conversation. He yelped when his arm was brutally yanked by a furious looking Vergil, his pale fingers clutching around his human arm painfully.

"Where's my sword?" he asked in a demanding tone. Nero glared at him before yanking his arm back with a snort and then eyed the man.

"If you don't start talking to me properly I won't tell where the sword is," Nero snarled.

"Give it to me, it's mine!" Vergil demanded which only resulted in Nero backing up a few steps, as he cocked his head to the side as if he was listening to someone. Vergil saw the young man wince in pain again and wondered why that was.

"Alright already, fine. If you want to return to such a possessive master then fine by me!" Nero snarled to no one and approached Vergil again.

"That's one stuck up sword you have, matches you perfectly," Nero said in an annoyed tone before stretching his bringer forth and above Vergil's lap.

"Why are you holding that hand above my lap?" Vergil asked and glared at Nero.

"If you would just shut up for a second you'd know, I'm returning something I've been watching for you," Nero snarled and materialized Yamato into his palm. "

It's been bugging me all day. I hope you're not this ungrateful to your own sword, if it wasn't for Yamato I wouldn't have found this place," Nero said in an annoyed 's demeanor changed slightly when Nero said he'd watched the sword for him.

"How did you get hold of my sword?" Vergil asked.

"To cut a long story short I was captured by a scientist who wanted to dissect me and learn about my arm, and he happened to have a broken Yamato inside a container. I snapped and somehow repaired the sword as I called it to me, I didn't manage to kill him though. He ran like a fucking coward. I still owe Dante a good beating for killing the little piece of shit before I got to him," Nero growled.

"Oh and no need to thank me mister stick up your ass," Nero said with a snort before he rose from his kneeling position.

"Dante…" Vergil whispered and his demeanor softened.

"What did you say?" Nero asked and was baffled to see a soft look in the ice blue eyes of the oldest son of Sparda.

"Dante…Is he alive?" Vergil asked and eyed Nero softly.

"Of course that dimwit old man is alive, he wouldn't die even if you actually killed him," Nero said with a snort before eying Vergil with a softer look in his eyes.

"I only recognized you because I know him," Nero admitted and smiled at Vergil.

"How is he?" Vergil asked a sad tone to his voice.

"He's alive and kicking, always goofing off. But there's always this sadness deep within his eyes, and I somehow think it has something to do with you. He never wanted to tell me when I asked about you, it seems painful for him. He thinks you are dead Vergil," Nero said. Nero was shocked to see a flash of hurt pass through Vergil's face.

"I did a lot of horrible things to him that I shouldn't have," Vergil said. Although well hidden deep sorrow marred Vergil's voice and Nero sighed in a sad manner

. "Hey now, whatever you did I'm sure he'll forgive you if you give him some time. Come," Nero said and reached out a hand for Vergil to grab.

"Why should I come with you?" Vergil asked.

"Look Vergil, I'm trying to be nice to you here. Instead of being a stuck up bastard accept help when it's offered. I'll take you to my apartment and lend you some clothes, and then I'll take you to Dante if you want. Besides you don't have a place to stay," Nero stated before pulling off his coat.

"Your current outfit is kind of revealing, put my coat on," Nero explained when Vergil gave him a look that said 'are you kidding me?'

"Why are you doing this for someone you don't know?" Vergil asked as he offered Nero's hand and the coat.

"Look, I owe your brother a lot so let's just say I'm paying off my debt," Nero said with a small smile.

Vergil seemed to be satisfied with that answer and took the shoulder which Nero offered as he led them through Capulet and back to his apartment.

* * *

**I've wanted to write a DMC fic for a long time, and I'm finally doing it XD Hope you like this first chapter and stay tuned for more. This story will probably fall last in line for updates after BMBD and ETE but I will try and update whenever I can ;)**

**Please review!**


	2. Instincts

**Instincts  
**

Nero kicked the door to his apartment open and immediately guided a now panting Vergil over to the couch.

"Sit down here and rest, I've got something that'll fix you up right away," Nero said before disappearing into his bedroom.

Vergil heaved a deep breath and relaxed back into the cushions, his sore and aching body screaming for rest as he continued to lose blood. His power levels were so low he couldn't even hope to regenerate his injuries fast enough, and he snarled at himself for being so pathetic. Sure enough the fight to get out of hell had been a big strain and not easy, but still. He was the son of Sparda, it didn't fit one of such heritage to break so easily.

He could hear the boy rummaging around in whatever room he had entered, low cursing passing through the walls as he obviously struggled to find what he was looking for. When he heard a pleased yell he couldn't help but smile a tiny bit, the kid already reminded him so much of Dante. Clearly they had their differences but if Vergil didn't know better the boy could pass for Dante's son.

Nero came out of his room, his hair disheveled as if he'd been diving through his closet in search of something. Nero raked his fingers through his hair to straighten the strands out before he walked up to Vergil again. He held his hand out and opened his fingers to reveal what he was hiding within his palm.

"Before you take it I need to know if you have anything broken, I don't want anything healing the wrong way," Nero said after slipping the glowing Vital Star into Vergil's hand. Vergil took a few moments to scan himself but ended up finding nothing out of place so he looked at Nero questioningly.

"Go on, I have more where that came from," Nero assured and Vergil sighed before he began munching on the star.

Slowly his skin color changed from a sickly pale blue and into his more normal pale complexion, and his wounds began closing up. The fatigue however would have to be cured with a good night's rest. Nero smiled as Vergil stretched his body and sighed in bliss as his body was healed and sat down in a chair opposite of the couch. Vergil looked over to the boy and actually offered Nero a barely visible smile.

"Thank you," Vergil said after hesitating on the you part.

"Name's Nero," Nero said with a grin before whistling at Vergil's hair.

"That long hair really doesn't suit you at all; want me to cut it for you?" Nero asked as he eyed Vergil up and down.

He was certain, that hair ruined Vergil's oh so handsome looks quite aggressively. Vergil looked confused for a moment before his hands reached up to feel, and he realized his hair reached down to his waist. He scowled in distaste as he saw his reflection in a mirror by the entrance door.

"That would be appreciated," Vergil murmured. Nero smiled and guided Vergil into the bathroom, pulling a chair from the kitchen when they passed it. Vergil sat down and Nero retrieved a towel from one of the shelves and hooked it over Vergil's shoulders.

"Aren't you going to use a scissor?" Vergil asked in an incredulous tone when he noticed Nero beginning to lift his hair contemplating how to cut it.

"Nope, I use my claws whenever I cut my own hair. They are much sharper and more efficient than a pair of scissors," Nero explained with a smug smile and Vergil scowled at Nero through the reflection in the mirror which made Nero chuckle.

"If you and Dante weren't so alike in looks I'd never believe you to be twins, you're like complete opposites," Nero commented and Vergil actually hummed at that, remembering how often people used to say the exact same when they were just children.

"Now then just sit still, I don't want to scratch you with my talons," Nero ordered with a smile before he lifted the long silver strands.

He made a clean cut at the nape of Vergil's neck just to be rid of the ridiculous amount of hair before he began shaping it in a more accurate way. He tried to remember how Dante's haircut was, and his claws easily sliced through the silken hair as he cut it to be an exact replica of Vergil's younger twin and his hair. After half an hour Nero thought himself done and looked at Vergil to hear his opinion.

"This will do just fine," Vergil acknowledged and carefully undid the towel around his shoulders, shaking it over the sink to rid it of hair.

He then gave a nod to Nero before heading out of the bathroom, Nero following close. Vergil then stopped in the middle of the living room abruptly and Nero walked to stand in front of him, resting his weight on one foot while crossing his arms over his chest, a contemplating look crossing his face.

"What's the matter?" Vergil asked and Nero got a look of wonder.

"Somehow that haircut really doesn't suit you," Nero grumbled.

Vergil raised an eyebrow and walked over to the mirror he had seen his reflection in earlier. He took a one over of himself and hummed, dragging his fingers through his considerably shorter hair.

"You're right, this isn't quite me but that is easily fixed," Vergil stated and walked over to the kitchen sink.

He opened the spring and wet his hands and then dragged them through his hair. When he was done his hair was kept dragged backwards over his head lifting the bangs from his face and standing up in a spiky style. Nero hummed and contemplated the new look before he grinned.

"Much better if I must say," Nero stated and chuckled at his own antics.

"I am glad you approve," Vergil said and chuckled faintly.

Just then a cold draft snuck inside from a punctured window and Nero shuddered, still only wearing his sleeveless navy shirt with the sleeveless zip hoodie shirt atop. Vergil noticed and smiled slightly before looking down at the coat he was currently borrowing.

"Do you have anything else I could borrow until I can retrieve my own clothes? This isn't exactly my style," Vergil said and pointed to Nero's coat.

"Oh sure, I don't have much besides that but I'm sure I have something," Nero said. "You can come look together with me," Nero offered and shortly after they were both in Nero's tidy bedroom.

Nero went over to his wardrobe closet and tore the doors open, beginning to shuffle through the attires that hung from the steel bar in the middle. He went past his spare coats and a few suits and some other more common wear clothes, skipping past something white not noticing that Vergil had taken an interest in it.

"How about that?" Vergil asked and pointed at the white garment which hung nicely and straight in-between the clothes Nero had just shuffled past.

"This?" Nero asked and grabbed hold of the garment. He flinched when he realized what it was Vergil had asked for and he sighed in a sad manner.

"I thought I threw this away," Nero muttered and handed the uniform over to Vergil who shook it out and eyed it with an appreciative glance. It was a uniform with elegance which fit him perfectly.

"Why would you want to throw such a high quality garment away?" Vergil asked and didn't fail to notice the flash of pain and sadness that showed briefly in Nero's vivid blue eyes.

"Let's just say it brings forth bad memories that I'd rather not remember," Nero answered curtly."Let me have a look at it before you try it on," Nero said and grasped the garment from within Vergil's hands.

He ventured out into the living room and splayed the uniform out on the table. He immediately brought forth one of the sleeves and let one of his talons rest across the symbol which was sewn into it. With a deep frown he let demon energy flow into that single talon and carefully burned away the embroidery, before doing the same to the other sleeve.

"What were those symbols?" Vergil asked when Nero handed him the uniform.

"Let's just say it's the insignia of an organization I used to work for," Nero answered and turned away when Vergil began to redress himself.

What Vergil had picked from Nero's wardrobe was Nero's old order of the sword uniform which resembled Credo's greatly with only a few differences. It brought forth memories he wanted to be left without and he really thought he had thrown it away. When he heard the thump of boots onto wooden floor he knew Vergil was done changing and he turned to look at the man.

"It will do for now," Vergil acknowledged and handed Nero his coat. Nero smiled and shrugged the coat on grateful that it was still warmed up by Vergil's body heat and he snuggled into it.

"I hate to ask, but could you do me another favor?" Vergil suddenly asked and Nero cocked an eyebrow before telling him to go on. "Does Dante still run devil may cry?" Vergil asked. Nero nodded and waited for the man to continue.

"Then I should probably have some clothes left there, if I know him right he's been too lazy to actually throw my stuff away," Vergil explained.

"Do you want to come along?" Nero asked and Vergil looked uncertain for a moment.

Nero sighed at the man before picking up his cell phone. He quickly phoned Lady and waited for her to pick up. He grinned when he heard the wails of demons in the background.

_ "What do you want Nero, I'm kind of busy right now!"_ Lady snarled through the phone and Nero chuckled.

"Is Dante with you right now?" Nero asked and there was a moment of silence as Lady most likely fired her Kalina Ann at some unlucky demon.

_"Yes, why do you want to know?"_ Lady demanded.

"Nothing in particular, when will you be done with the mission?" Nero pressed. Again there was a pause before Lady sighed and answered.

_"At least an hour or so, but I really have to hang up now,_" Lady said and then the line went dead.

"Dante's out at the moment, he won't be back for a while," Nero said.

"How would you get in?" Vergil asked and Nero smiled smugly before reaching into his pocket and proceeded to dangle a set of keys in front of him.

"Dante likes to pic my look and raid my fridge when he can't afford his pizza, so I only saw fit to make copies of his own keys," Nero chuckled darkly.

"Okay then," Vergil said and followed Nero down the stairs, jumping the steps which Nero told him weren't safe. When they entered a beat up old garage Vergil tried to deduce which car was Nero's.

"I hope you don't mind riding bitch," Nero called from a corner of the garage and Vergil saw the young man standing behind a beautiful black Harley Davidson. Vergil gave Nero a unsatisfied look before scoffing and walking over to the bike.

"Sorry, but cars are just too expensive," Nero offered and gave Vergil a spare helmet before he kicked the motor to life. Nero relished in the beautiful roar which Kuroi answered him with and beckoned for Vergil to get on.

"Better hold on tight, this baby's fast!" Nero alerted before twisting the throttle shooting out of the garage.

**~~~~Regrets and Rewards~~~~**

"Here we are," Nero announced right after he skid stopped the bike right in front of the first step before Devil May Cry. "Do you want to come inside?" Nero asked and Vergil looked uncertain before he nodded. Nero smiled and went up to the door checking to see if it was locked.

"He actually remembered to lock the door for once," Nero laughed before sliding his key in and twisting it to open the lock.

He pushed the doors open and went in followed closely by Vergil. Vergil flew past Nero the instant he opened the door and took the huge demonic sword Sparda down from the wall.

"Father's sword, who recreated it?" Vergil demanded to know.

"A man named Sanctus wanted to take over the world using the power of your father and stole both of the amulets to create it. He was a powersick fool and it eventually led to his destruction by my hands," Nero muttered.

"This sword was separated into two amulets for a reason," Vergil muttered before letting his hand hover above where the amulets were forged together.

Nero watched curiously as blue light shone beneath Vergil's palm and suddenly the amulets broke apart sending a shockwave through the shop. Nero watched as the sword disintegrated and returned into the sealed form of the two crimson amulets. Vergil hung one of the amulets around his neck and left the other on Dante's desk.

"I see Dante doesn't take much care of our home," Vergil muttered before he went up to the second floor.

He went down to the end of the hall end entered a room on the right, a cloud of dust smashing into his face the moment he opened the door. He sneezed loudly and gave of an irritated snarl at his little brother's laziness before he scanned the room. He moved a few boxes and some old furniture around and he finally saw his old closet in the far back of the room.

Climbing over a mountain of various stuff he finally reached the wardrobe closet and opened the doors. He featured a look of relief when he saw several sets of his attire folded neatly on assorted shelves, and he snagged the different garments out of the dusty closet. He shook one of the blue coats out and was relieved to find it intact.

With a satisfied smile he took all the sets and went over to the bathroom, delighted to find it more or less clean. He quickly changed and gave himself a look of approval after seeing his reflection in the mirror. He felt so much more comfortable in his own clothing, and he looked much better. He folded the uniform he had borrowed from Nero and made his way downstairs again.

When Nero looked up from where he was slouching on the couch he was momentarily frozen. He stared blankly at Vergil, drinking in every drop of the beautiful view presented to him. Before him stood the most intimidating figure he had ever seen, handsome and so refined and graceful that Nero's devil side damn near purred in appreciation of the view alone.

"What are you looking at?" Vergil asked and raised an eyebrow at Nero which made him snap out of it. Nero quickly looked away with a faint blush on his cheeks, rubbing at his nose bashfully.

"Nothing," he then said and Vergil smirked.

He didn't know why but the young man intrigued him and he was so darn cute. He never thought he would be able to consider anything cute but apparently he could. He was interested to learn more of this new half devil which he had made acquaintances with, and he couldn't help but want to tease him.

"For a moment there I believed you were lovestruck like a teenage girl," Vergil teased baffled at the playfulness in his own voice.

"Shut up, I was not lovestruck!" Nero yelled indignantly and Vergil only chuckled. An awkward silence passed between them for a minute before Nero remembered they had a time limit.

"We need to leave, Dante will be here in 15 minutes," Nero announced after looking at a clock which hung inside the shop. Just then the phone called and Nero grinned, finally he would have something to do.

"Just a second," Nero said to Vergil before strolling up to the desk slamming his fist into it making the phone jump into the air. He caught it and lifted it to his ear saying "Devil May Cry, how can I help you?" Nero listened to a frightened woman telling him about how her house was surrounded by demons and Nero noted down the address.

"I'll be right over miss," Nero said and grinned happily.

"What was that about?" Vergil asked when he saw Nero grinning like a child on Christmas Eve.

"I just snagged a job from Dante, he owes me money anyway," Nero said.

"Care to join me, we'll split the pay," Nero then said and looked at Vergil questioningly.

"I don't see why not, I could use a descent fight," Vergil declared and Nero grinned.

After locking up Nero and Vergil got back on Kuroi and soon they were at the location of their job. Nero sniffed the air and a feral grin cracked his features.

"Frost's!" he declared with excitement in his voice.

He hadn't fought any of those for a good while and he looked forward to it, his bringer itching to be used. He ran down the street until he saw them and when the frost noticed his demonic energy they screeched and lunged for him immediately.

**~~~~Regrets and Rewards~~~~**

Wielding Yamato in battle again gave him a sense of nostalgia. He summoned spectral blades to rotate in a circle behind him for support before slashing the frost's before him from afar, smiling when the invisible blades hit the demons. He growled when the frost's hid within their cocoon of ice. He was just about to begin slashing away at them when Nero came flying down from abovr, and he heard Nero's sword roar to life and soon the cocoon's melted from the scorching liquid left by Nero's slash.

"You should take it easy for a while Vergil, you're not at a hundred percent. Let me take one of them," Nero declared and without waiting for an answer formed his spectral hand grabbing the confused frost by his tail.

With a roar he began hurling the frost around in circles before finally letting it go to slam into a nearby concrete wall. Vergil quickly finished off his own frost by sending the summoned blades at it, and watched as Nero pulled his double barreled revolver from its holster. He watched as Nero charged his shots with demonic energy and fired it at the frost before it could get up from where it had been thrown and it screeched when the bullets lodged themselves in its head. Then Nero snatched the demon to himself and busted it down into the ground, grinning when it shattered and was blown away with the wind.

"It seems I misjudged you when we first met," Vergil declared as he walked over to Nero. "You truly are a half devil," Vergil stated and studied Nero closely. Nero crossed his arms above his chest with an indignant huff.

"No shit Sherlock," Nero said before grinning at Vergil.

"Are the demons gone now?" a shaky female voice said from behind them and Nero turned around, hiding his bringer behind his back which made Vergil scowl.

"Yes ma'am, we have disposed of the demons. You're safe now," Nero responded with a warm smile.

"Thank you so much," she stuttered. She handed Nero a bundle of cash and he swiftly counted it.

"This is more than enough miss, glad to be of help," Nero said and gave a nonchalant wave before turning around heading up the street to where he'd parked his bike.

"Thank you very much!" The woman called again and Nero shouted "don't mention it," back at her before kicking his bike into motion, Vergil soon planted firmly behind him.

"Time for some food," Nero declared before twisting the throttle of his bike driving out of the street to head back to his own apartment.

**~~~~Regrets and Rewards~~~~**

Vergil was studying Nero as he took apart his sword to clean it, food already cooking on the stove. It was a time craving task as Red Queen consisted of many small components and parts, and her exceed system was an intricate structure. His fingers were already full of old oil and he had somehow managed to smear it into his face. Nero began the task of cleaning every single part and oiling what need to be oiled before he finally began assembling the sword.

The entire time Vergil studied and memorized how the sword was built. It was quite intriguing and although it may have looked heavy and hard to wield it was an efficient sword and probably a really good battle companion. He realized that learning to wield it probably took time, patience and skill and he wondered how long the blade had been with the man.

"Where did you get that sword, it is quite an interesting weapon," Vergil said and looked at the sword curiously.

"I built it myself," Nero answered and Vergil was honestly surprised. The man was a true genius to have come up with such a magnificent sword.

"You must be quite proud of it, it is an amazing weapon," Vergil said as he did not fail to recognize the strength of the sword.

"Thanks, and yes I am. In the end it became the model for all the swords in which my previous employer used," Nero said, a sad undertone to his voice at the words spoken.

"Sadly they were misused and they are probably still being mass produced and left in the hands of people who will not wield them for the right cause," Nero then added.

"Are they any different from yours?" Vergil wanted to know and Nero nodded.

"They are much smaller and lighter in weight, they aren't as resistant to attacks either and their exceed system is smaller and burns out more quickly," Nero said.

"My exceed system is customized to refill by the use of my demonic powers, but theirs need to be refueled after some time," Nero added on an afterthought before locking the final piece in place.

He did a once over of the blade and twisted the throttle to make sure it was correctly assembled before he slid a loving finger along her sturdy blade.

"It took me three long years to master her and she became the best battle companion a swordsman like me could wish for," Nero stated.

"Her?" Vergil said with a curious tone to his voice.

"She's named Red Queen," Nero explained with a sheepish grin before walking over to place her at her stand.

He then went over to the stove and checked the dinner, turning down the heat a little before returning to the table. He then lifted Blue Rose from her holster and retrieved the cleaning equipment which was specialized for her. When he saw Vergil's questioning look he smiled.

"I built her myself; I've never seen anyone else with a double barreled revolver. Making her fire the two bullets perfectly together was one heck of a job, but I managed it in the end. I even carved the patterns myself. After I awoke my demonic powers I customized her patterns to channel my demonic energy so I could charge my rounds with it. If I'm lucky her shots actually paralyze demons that are strong enough to take more than one hit from her," Nero said in a proud tone and Vergil smiled.

"I don't normally approve of fire arms but she is a beauty. She's skillfully crafted," Vergil complimented and Nero blushed slightly at the praise.

"Thanks," Nero said before returning to the stove pulling the casserole off of it, removing the top. He inhaled the delicious scent and hummed, he was downright starving. He plated it up and moved over to the dining table, setting two plates down and putting water on the table.

"Foods ready," Nero said and Vergil got up from the couch to join him. Nero had made Japanese hotpot and went to retrieve egg yolks from the fridge, picking up the chopstick at the same time.

"What is this?" Vergil asked.

"It is a traditional Japanese dinner called hotpot," Nero said.

"What are the egg yolks for?" Vergil then wanted to know.

Nero laughed and picked up his chopsticks, picking up a piece of meat together with some vegetables before reaching for his cup of yolk. He looked at Vergil before dipping the food into it before putting it in his mouth, chewing it and then swallowing.

"How peculiar," Vergil stated before picking up his chopsticks.

He mimicked Nero's hold as he had never eaten with chopsticks before and failed miserably at his first attempts which gave Nero a good laugh. After a couple of minutes though he got the hang of it, and they were soon eating in silence enjoying the food.

"That was a rather interesting dish," Vergil said when he had finished and Nero smiled.

"You're a good cook," Vergil stated and Nero grinned shyly.

"Glad it was edible," Nero chuckled before cleaning the table swiftly.

Vergil was observing Nero, watching how fluid every movement he made was and how he carried himself with confidence and power. His devil side was definitely interested and had been acting in quite the possessive manner in the short amount of time they'd spent together, which was less than a day and Vergil found that maybe he agreed with his devil side to a certain point.

He felt a sense of protectiveness and possessiveness already and he wondered if his instincts were trying to tell him something. He also kept wondering why the young man was so willing to help him without even asking anything in return. Within the range of just a few hours the man had done more for him than anyone else but Dante had ever done in the past, and Vergil was baffled to find that he liked it.

Being with Nero eased his hunger for power, and made the longing for his mother and father dull and he found it addictive. Tormented as his soul was Vergil had created his icy facade and demanded respect wherever he went, and it generally made people shun away from him. Vergil thought he didn't mind, and truthfully he didn't mind, but he felt he didn't want it to end up like that with Nero as well.

It had happened with Dante, and Vergil realized how much he'd hurt the only family he had left and he really wanted to make it up to his little brother. He didn't notice that while he was mulling Nero had watched him too with a worried look in his face.

"Vergil?" Nero asked but got no answer.

Nero frowned and went up to Vergil placing a hand atop Vergil's shoulder shaking it lightly while calling his name again. Vergil snapped out of his trance and his eyes met with Nero's briefly. Nero was startled to see the swirl of emotions behind those beautiful ice blue eyes and he cringed inwardly at the unmistakable touch of deep pain and sorrow which was there.

Nero didn't know why, but he had this intense want to help this man in whatever way possible and he had this huge urge to do anything to comfort Vergil. He had no idea if it was true, but he believed his instincts and his devil side was trying to tell him something.

"Why do you do so much to help me Nero?" Vergil asked right out of the blue shocking Nero slightly. Nero looked to be thinking for a while before his gaze locked with Vergil's.

"I don't really know to be honest. When I first saw you crawling out of that seal half dead, I just felt this incredible need to help you. It was as if my instincts told me to go to you," Nero admitted with a confused look in his eyes.

Vergil was quite taken aback by the answer, and he felt warm deep within his soul, something which had not occurred since he was together with his parents happy and naïve to the world outside. Right then and there Vergil's devil side flared up and his instincts raged. Vergil knew now no matter what, he had to make sure Nero became his. He remembered his father telling him of people who were meant to be together. Vergil remembered asking how he would know and his father has smiled.

"When you meet him or her, your heart and soul will know," he had said and Vergil had thought it to be ridiculous, but now he knew what his father meant, and he knew his father had said that it was how he and his mother had found each other.

"Man that sounded so cheesy," Nero said and rubbed his nose bashfully and looked away.

"Not at all, I thought it was cute," Vergil said with a soft smile. "Thank you Nero," Vergil then said and dragged Nero close.

Nero was startled when he found himself in Vergil's embrace, and when he felt a gentle hand cup his chin and tilt it upwards he watched with wide eyes as Vergil leaned his head farther and farther down.

"Vergil, what are you…" Nero began but was cut off as soft lips landed on his own.

Nero's body went rigid in shock before Vergil's demonic energy seeped into him making him melt against the man which embraced him with a moan. The kiss was euphoric and Nero felt as if his whole body was being electrocuted with small blazes of pleasure and he was completely at Vergil's mercy. Nero had kissed someone before but this was beyond anything he had ever felt. It was like a drug and his mind became foggy as his devil side purred at the attention it was being given by Vergil's.

_'Make us yours,' _his devil side chanted over and over again and Vergil's devil side responded eagerly.

_'Mine, mine alone,' _it chanted and Nero and Vergil heard the chants loud and clear in their minds.

When they finally broke apart for air Nero's knees were trembling and he desperately leaned on Vergil for support. Both Nero and Vergil were panting, Nero with a heavy blush as they looked upon each other. Words weren't needed, their actions and devil sides spoke for them and their lips locked once more in yet another passionate kiss.

"I don't know why but this feels so fucking right," Nero panted when they broke apart.

Vergil smiled softly at Nero before drawing him into a hug. He never thought himself capable of such tender actions, yet he found that he did not mind at all. He snuggled into Nero's neck, his warm breath caressing the pale skin.

"Indeed," was his reply.

* * *

**Dawwwwww….Vergil and Nero are just too damn cute together**.** *sniffles* I really enjoyed writing this chapter. Cuddly and tender emotions and Vergil and Nero are utterly confused with themselves. What is it they say? Follow your instincts I guess XD**

**Anyways, please review!**

* * *

**Now to answer the guest reviews XD**

**Before I reply to your reviews I really want to advise you to make yourself an account here. Even if you don't write you can still have an account. Having an account allows you to favorite stories as well as follow them. When you follow a story you can choose to be alerted by mail whenever the story is updates. The same concept goes for authors as you can favorite and follow authors as well. You can also review and get direct replies whenever the author has time to reply, and the reply will appear as a private message in your inbox. It makes things a lot easier for me and you don't have to wait for every update to have your reviews answered. I love reviews and I answer to as many as I can. At least consider it folks :)**

**Now for the answers!**

**Danny: Yes this will be a Yaoi between Vergil and Nero. Yes Vergil is plotting how to capture Nero for himself XD This fic will be about how Vergil and Nero find each other and what Vergil will do to repay all the misdeeds he did. There's sure to be fire between him and Lady later XD**

**Hack Generation: Well aren't you the enthusiastic one? Stay tuned for more :)**

**Anon: Thank you!**

**Until next time :D**


	3. Memories and regrets

**Memories and regret  
**

Vergil blinked his eyes open when warm rays of sunlight danced upon his skin through the window. Had he forgotten to close the curtains before he went to sleep? No he was certain he'd closed them. His mind instantly went to Nero, and he wondered how in the world the young devil had managed to sneak into the room to draw the curtains without waking him. He took pride in his territorial and presence sensing skills even when his mind was not conscious so he was amazed that Nero had managed it.

Putting that aside he clearly remembered how it had been to taste those soft full lips with his own. He still remembered how Nero had been shocked and hesitant in the beginning only to answer him eagerly once he realized what was happening. It had literally warmed something inside of him and he had felt a pleasant tingle shake his spine during the soft kiss. He wondered if Nero regretted his actions now, and he was surprised to find himself hesitant to leave the guest room which Nero had cleaned for him.

He shook his head and shifted himself into a sitting position, stretching his body popping the joints with a satisfied sigh. Beds with comforters were a rare luxury in hell and to be frank Vergil hadn't really been living at the Devil's hotel. He got out of bed and went up to his neatly folded clothes. Though he may have been forced to living primitively while in hell, he would never forget his mannerisms.

After dressing he scouted the room for a mirror and was pleased to find a small one sitting atop of a dresser to the right of the double bed he had been sleeping in. His hair was disheveled and he easily did his hair like he had done the previous day. He straightened his clothes and steeled himself for the tirade he believed Nero would give him for taking advantage of the young devil as soon as he stepped into the living area.

He opened the door and looked around for the slayer, only to freeze where he stood upon his eyes catching sight of a firm muscled back with taut skin over built muscles marred by scars everywhere. Nero was standing in the kitchen frying eggs and he had chosen to forgo his tops like he usually did when he first woke up in the morning. Feeling Vergil's presence Nero turned around and greeted Vergil with a bright smile, his blue eyes never losing their intense stare.

"Morning Vergil," Nero said and leaned on the counter crossing his arms.

"Good morning to you as well Nero," he replied and let a barely visible smile stretch his lips. A few moments of awkward silence followed before Vergil manned up and broke it.

"About yesterday," Vergil began taking a short pause to watch Nero's expression. Nero's smile faded and was replaced by his ever so normal scowl as he waited for the elder devil to continue.

"I'm sorry for taking advantage of you like that," Vergil said his eyes downcast in apology.

Nero remained silent for a while before he bent over laughing loudly. Vergil looked at Nero as if he was crazy which made the young slayer laugh even more, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. After a while he forced himself to stop laughing, although a choked chuckle made itself known as he spoke to Vergil.

"There's no need to apologize," Nero said. "If I didn't like it I would have hurled you through the nearest wall, I aint some sissy girl Vergil," Nero then chuckled before smiling at said man. The elder devil looked completely baffled and he stared at Nero for a while before he shook himself out of it.

"I see," Vergil replied calmly.

"Breakfast is ready!" Nero exclaimed when he heard the toast pop up from the toaster with a ding. He quickly plated up egg and bacon for the both of them along with some vanilla tea and set the table.

"Dig in," Nero then said and Vergil breathed in the heavenly scent. When he took the first bite he could discern that the eggs were perfectly fried along with the bacon, and the tea was just sweet enough for him.

"This is lovely, you have a talent for cooking," Vergil said while he ate.

"Oh I'm not that good," Nero replied and rubbed at his nose before looking down into his plate, slicing off another piece of toast with egg and bacon.

_'Cute'_ Vergil thought before they continued the rest of the meal in younger slayer finished the last slices of toast and rose from the table, taking his plate to the kitchen to put it into the sink as he had no washer.

"Thanks for the meal," Vergil said when he too came to put his dishes to soak in the water which Nero filled in the sink.

"You're welcome," Nero replied before he quickly washed the plates and their cups and stored them away in the right cabinets.

"I don't know what you usually do during the day but I need to go shopping," Nero stated when he opened the fridge to check.

"I'd usually read a book or study demon powers," Vergil began before feigning a look of thought. "I think I'll just help you with shopping," he said actually surprising himself as shopping wasn't actually his favorite thing to do.

"Sweet 'cause I'm going to stock up now that I have some money," Nero grinned sheepishly. "It's a hassle carrying all the bags myself," he then added. "We'll be leaving shortly, I just need to do something first," the young devil said and went to a drawer besides the small flat screen he had.

When Vergil saw Nero pull out a set of bandages and a glove he became curious as to why the younger devil needed such items. Nero didn't pay the elder devil any mind as he began doing the familiar task of wrapping his bringer in the bandages, before pulling the glove over. He startled when Vergil grabbed his shoulder and spun him around with a scowl on his face.

"What's wrong?" Nero asked quickly afraid he'd done something to upset the elder man.

"Why are you covering up your arm?" Vergil asked with an angered voice. He didn't fail to notice the flash of anger and pain which passed through those vivid blue orbs before Nero shook Vergil's hand off and turned around with a snarl.

"I get enough stares when I'm out in the public, if people see that I have a demonic arm they cringe and shy away," Nero said his voice nearly a whisper.

Vergil let out a snarl in distaste, what his intended hat just said just further added to his hate for humans. Though he couldn't deny the part of him which was human he had learned to accept it. After all he had loved his mother dearly, and it would bring shame to her if he would deny his human half.

"You shouldn't let humans judge you, that arm is part of you and you should be proud to show it," Vergil said while giving into the urge to comfort the younger devil.

Nero stiffened just slightly when he felt Vergil's strong and reassuring arms embrace him from behind but he soon relaxed, his shoulders falling as he leaned on the elder for support.

"I know," Nero sighed. "But I'm not unwrapping it either way," he then stated and broke free of Vergil.

"Why?" Vergil demanded to know only to be given a shaking head in response.

"You wouldn't understand even if I told you," Nero whispered before snatching his coat from the rack and dragging it on. He took Blue Rose from her stand and holstered her just in case they'd run across demons before he opened the door and stepped outside.

"Are you coming or not?" Nero asked and Vergil quietly made his way out into the corridor.

**~~~~Regrets and Rewards~~~~**

It did not take them long to reach the nearest market by foot, and as soon as they met the first wall of people Vergil's keen eyes and ears picked up on pointing people who noticed the faint glow which refused to be hidden by Nero's glove while they whispered among themselves. Vergil shot anyone who did a death glare but it did nothing to shut them up. He wanted to show them a piece of his mind so badly that his hand instinctively reached for the hilt of Yamato. His hand was stopped however by Nero's crushing grip.

"Don't, it's not worth it," Nero growled before glaring at Vergil and letting go.

The elder remained quiet after that and did his best to let his itching fingers stay still as he followed the younger through the murky streets. While they walked through the city which had been his home he found himself reliving pleasant memories from his time being part of a happy small family. His father had been respected in the city and he had always held himself with grace and authority wherever he walked.

He remembered how his mother would reprimand his father for the superior demeanor, but his father could not lay off his behavior as it was imbedded in his very nature. Status was very important in the demon world and his father had stood high, he was of one of the mightiest races and had lorded over great land within the demon realm before he departed to protect the human world where his love resided.

His body automatically followed the young half devil wherever he went and while his mind strayed he failed to notice the impending presence which loomed in the distance. Nero who just finished paying for the most recent groceries he had acquired however noticed it as he felt his bringer pulse vaguely inside the wrappings.

Nero's brows knitted together and he strained his ears and scrunched his nose a few times. His pupils narrowed to slits when he heard a very familiar sizzling sound and the stench of scorched meat reached his nose. Immediately his senses became high strung and his posture tensed as he tried to figure out where the demon was. A barely audible snarl of displease left his lips which was enough to wake Vergil from his trance.

"Nero?" Vergil asked and took in the rigid stance which the younger held.

"There's a Blitz somewhere nearby," the younger snarled.

Vergil's hand immediately flew to the hilt of Yamato, the sword pulsing eagerly in response to the energy which he fed the blade. The elder watched as Nero's hair began dancing around his face even though there was no wind, and he felt the younger releasing some of his power. Nero scowled as he waited for a response, and when he felt the slight disturbance in his own power he knew where the demon was.

"It's heading for the market square!" Nero stated.

The younger was already running down the street as he said so and the elder followed right in Nero's heels. Without warning Nero turned left and ran into a dead alley in which he used the walls as a kick stand to get up to the roof. He dropped the groceries there, his hand shooting behind his pack only to grasp empty air.

Nero remembered he had left his trusted sword behind at home, and a frustrated growl left him. But it didn't make him fear as he continued traversing the buildings, jumping from roof to roof until the marker was finally in his line of sight. Nero's energy rose higher as he silently challenged the demon up ahead and Vergil could feel the heated response from the Blitz.

"Do not be rash Nero; you don't have Red Queen with you!" Vergil called to the younger who had sped ahead of him.

"Don't worry," Nero called back as he gathered power into his legs and kicked off a few streets before the market, the energy boost in his legs sending him soaring through the air and above about three narrow streets.

People screeched when he suddenly descended in the middle of the square and shied away. Nero elegantly rose from his crouched position and soon Vergil joined him, albeit his landing was more refined than Nero's had been. Blue eyes of the younger quickly went about scanning the area as he slowly dragged the glove off and shoved it into a pocket before he undid the bandages.

When people noticed his now brightly glowing demon arm they shrieked in fear and huddled closer to the buildings, thankfully clearing up the square so that the slayers had more space to work with. That was when the Blitz flashed into the right of the square with a screech, electricity sparking all around it as it howled at the two half devils. Nero drew in a good amount of air, his chest rising before he opened his mouth.

"Get out of here!" He shouted to the pedestrians but none of them seemed to listen.

"I said to get the hell out of here. Get your children home, this place is not safe!" Nero roared only to be hit by a strike from the Blitz which sent him flying into a nearby building. The people screamed again and moved away from the rubble which crashed down onto the pavement from where Nero was lodged in a brick wall.

"Nero!" Vergil shouted immediately running to where the younger had been thrown to.

A loud thump was heard after the final bricks hit the ground and the citizens could see a bright glow from inside the dust cloud. Vergil froze and took a step back at the menacing aura which shot out from the younger and suddenly Nero's power alone made the dust clear. In his arms Nero had a crying toddler and Vergil suddenly figured out how Nero had let the Blitz get him so easily.

No one had probably seen how Nero had shot out to the left right after he had warned the people to save a young girl who had lost her mother in the chaos which emerged when they landed in the square. She had been in the direct line of fire when the Blitz had charged up its canon and Nero had jumped in to save her, dodging in the nick of time so that the beam just nicked him.

Still the force had been enough to send him flying and now Nero emerged from the pile of rubble with the crying girl in his hands, blood trickling down his forehead. His coat had been shredded on his right arm where the canon had hit and Vergil could easily see how the scorched flesh already began knitting up. What amazed him though was the fact that the shredded sleeve of the youngers coat fixed itself and he reminded himself mentally to ask how Nero had managed that feat.

"Take care of her, she's unhurt but startled," Nero growled to the humans who eyed him with fear as he handed the child to the nearest woman who quickly snatched the girl out of Nero's arms.

The young slayer's left arms slid down his thigh, gripping the handle of Blue Rose and unsheathing her. He quickly flipped the gun over into his demonic arm and the patterns on her barrel lit up as he charged the revolver with demonic energy. He took aim at the Blitz and lined up his shot before firing all three shots rapidly.

The Blitz screeched as the bullets had enough strength to diminish its shield of electricity to one third of what it was. Nero then summoned energy to his legs again and jumped forward through the air, creating a springing board with the energy mid-way to leap even longer as he reloaded his revolver. Another round of three charged shots quickly followed the first but the Blitz dodged two. The demon teleported to the other side of the square and began charging its cannon again and Nero growled.

"Vergil!" he shouted and the elder knew what Nero wanted from him.

When the beam was fired Yamato was out and in of its sheath in and instant, the soaring blades emitted from the demonic sword splitting the beam into smaller and less dangerous portions which any human could dodge.

While he had deflected the attack Nero had once again reloaded his gun with bullets and energy. Vergil looked around and noticed that there were still a small group of humans left, mostly men and 'brave' teens who did not want to miss out on the action. The elder snarled in distaste as he knew Nero would willingly sacrifice himself should any of them happen to fall into danger. If he didn't have a good eye for the younger devil he would not have cared for the pedestrians lives and left them to their own.

His attention was drawn back to Nero and the Blitz when the younger let a pained groan rip from his throat. Vergil's eyes quickly scanned Nero's body for the injury but he could not find it, but by the way the younger was clutching his ribs it was easy to guess what had happened. Nero shot his last two bullets and finally the demon's shield was down to almost nothing.

The younger retreated through the air and landed heavily behind Vergil. Nero sent Vergil a look and the elder obeyed the silent command. Seconds later the demon began shivering where it stood and took on a red hue. That was Nero's cue to move in and so he did.

The younger had held out a hand when Vergil had wanted to end it, and quickly shot past the elder. Nero closed in on the demon in a zig zag pattern as the Blitz could still move even though it was about to self-destruct. He managed to confuse the demon enough to get close and his demonic arm immediately gripped around the throat of the demon.

Doing so sent uncomfortable jolts through his body but he ignored it as he called upon a power he acquired from fighting Bael, the ice natured power of the Rusalka carcass coming forth in his palm. One touch was enough and Nero moved away from the demon again. He waited patiently as the ice spread out over the Blitz' body just in the nick of time, summoning his spectral arm when the demon was nothing but an ice cube. With a roar he sent the spectral arm at the frozen Blitz and crushed it to smithereens, falling to his haunches with a pained groan right after panting heavily while he clutched his left ribcage.

His body convulsed as he coughed up a good amount of blood, and he raises his human arm to dry the blood from his lips. No concern was shown for him by the citizens except for one brave teen who jogged up to him.

"Mister, are you all right?" The boy asked and Nero waved him off before he coughed again, this time without blood coming up. He rose on shaky feet and smiled at the teen.

"I've had worse," he said before noticing the boy stare at his demonic arm. He flinched and quickly hid it behind his back only to be given a disappointed look from the teen.

"That's great!" The boy exclaimed before he damn near jumped up and down in one spot.

"By the way that was amazing, and that arm is so cool! Can I see, can I? Please!" The boy rambled and Nero was stunned momentarily.

He hesitated slightly as he brought forth the arm for the boy to see. His face lit up as he looked at the demonic arm and he even reached out a hand to touch it.

"That's so weird. Are you a demon mister?" The teen then asked and Nero had to chuckle at that.

"I'm half human and half demon," Nero said and smiled slightly at the kid. Nero saw Vergil approaching and the boy startled when the elder devil pushed past him with a worried look directed at the younger.

"Your broken ribs punctured your lung didn't they?" Vergil stated as he was able to hear the faint wheezing sound which Nero's breaths held. Nero nodded with a sheepish grin before waving the elder off and turning to the kid again.

"You should run along now," Nero said before ruffling the kid's hair in a brotherly manner.

"Right!" the teen agreed and he gave Nero a high five before he ran off. Nero crouched down again once the kid was gone and felt Vergil's hands upon his shoulders.

"Come on, we need to get back to your apartment," Vergil declared and helped Nero up, letting the younger rest against his shoulder.

During the trip back Nero coughed up more blood, but he still insisted that Vergil needed to fetch the groceries and after a cold glare from the younger Vergil grudgingly did as told. A good 15 minutes later Vergil had carried Nero up the stairs and into the apartment where he carefully laid the younger down on the couch mindful of his injury. He knelt down by Nero's side and summoned demon energy to his hands.

"This might feel a bit uncomfortable," Vergil warned before he let his own energy seep into Nero's body. He carefully searched out the area were some of the Blitz' energy was left and he found the broken ribs.

"This will hurt," the elder then warned as he concentrated on his energy and made it denser before he let it envelop the damaged bones. Nero whimpered in pain when Vergil's energy began pushing gently at the ribs to get a feel of how much power it would need to set them back into place.

"I'm going to kick them back into place, brace yourself," Vergil warned before strengthening the energy and shooting it up in one single move.

Nero cried out harshly in pain as his ribs were pushed back into place, his body held down by Vergil who knew the younger would try to sit up instinctively. Nero sighed in appreciation afterwards however as the pressure on his lungs disappeared and he could breathe freely again.

"I never knew you could do that with demonic energy. I thought pushing foreign energy into a body could harm it," Nero said.

"That only happens if the two energies are not compatible," Vergil explained.

"So my energy is compatible with yours then? What a useful coincidence," Nero chuckled.

"Indeed," Vergil replied.

"Where do you keep the vital stars?" Vergil then asked.

"In my room, they're stored in a small drawer in my desk," Nero directed and shortly after Vergil was back with a small one. Nero ate it and sighed in bliss when it amped up his healing process, leaning back into the couch.

"Thanks," Nero said to Vergil and gave him a warm smile.

"This isn't even comparable to what you did for me, consider it my thanks for you saving me back there," Vergil said and Nero chuckled. Vergil thought he hid his anger about the situation from Nero, but the teen could see the emotion deep inside Vergil's stunning eyes.

"What's bothering you?" Nero inquired and Vergil looked taken aback for a moment.

"Humans are bothering me. If it had not been for them you wouldn't have taken this much damage," Vergil said his voice shaking. Nero frowned and sat up, his eyes locking onto the elders.

"Listen to me Vergil," Nero began. "I know it is easy to detest humans because they are weak and easily scared but you can't blame them. They don't have the instinct to flee or the power to protect themselves against high level demons," he continued.

"But the fact is that we are both half human and it could have been us had our parents not been of both races. They cannot help it that their fear freezes them and blocks of rational thoughts, but none the less they are innocent people who do not deserve to die when there are someone around to protect them," Nero said.

"You understand that don't you?" Nero inquired at the elder and Vergil looked at him with less anger than previously.

"I know Nero, but I have a reason for detesting them," Vergil said his voice taking on a tone resembling that of deep despair.

"What happened?" Nero asked with a soft voice.

"My mother was attempted assassinated so many times while I and Dante were young," Vergil began. "All because she married my father," Vergil said.

"And my father sacrificed everything for the human world as well," Vergil froze when he felt strong arms embrace him and a face buried into his neck.

"I'm so sorry Vergil, I had no idea," Nero whispered nuzzling into the crook of Vergil's neck.

The elder could feel sadness which he had locked away deep into his soul emerge at the comfort offered by the younger devil and his arms instinctively went up to clutch around Nero's back, his fingers fisting into the fabric of Nero's coat. The elder couldn't cry, tears were something he did not shed anymore but Nero could feel the distress in the energy pulsing out from the elder.

The younger uttered no words; he simply let Vergil vent it out silently and offered the elder comfort. When Nero finally felt the energy calm down he pushed out of his embrace and let his hands rest on Vergil's shoulders as he looked at the man.

Vergil gazed into the endless depths of Nero's eyes and he saw genuine understanding and compassion which he had never ever seen in anyone else's eyes and he knew that the younger fully understood his feelings. He realized that the younger had probably lived through traumas of his own, and he figured Nero would come around too given enough time.

Vergil let an honest smile stretch his lips before he cradled Nero's face gently with his arms. When their lips met the younger's cheeks got a faint red tint and he sighed softly into the kiss, Vergil enjoying the sweet yet icy taste which Nero held. He gently nipped at Nero's lip asking for entrance which was granted and soon their tongues joined in a sensual waltz inside their mouths. When they broke apart for air Nero found himself in the elders embrace and he smiled happily.

"Thank you Nero," Vergil said nuzzling his head into the crook of Nero's neck with a content sigh.

"Don't mention it," Nero chuckled leaning into Vergil's warmth. They stayed like that for a few minutes basking in each other's heat and comfort before Vergil gently broke the contact.

"I need to see Dante," Vergil began. "I have to apologize for all the pain I inflicted upon him," Vergil ended and Nero smiled reassuringly at the elder.

"You want some company?" Nero asked offering up his support and he got a soft nod from the elder.

Minutes later they had the apartment locked down and was headed for Devil May Cry.

**~~~~Regrets and Rewards~~~~**

Nero was walking in front up to the doors of Dante's office, his ears picking up Lady's familiar voice as she shouted about money and Dante being a lazy ass bastard. He heard gunshots and a loud laughter from Dante who had probably dodged and Nero heaved an exasperated sigh.

"Dante never grows up," Nero said and shook his head with closed eyes.

"You better stay behind me lest you want a stray bullet somewhere in your body," Nero warned.

He had urged Vergil to not bring Yamato as he did not want to make it seem as if Vergil was back to do more evil deeds. Nero steeled himself and opened the door to the office, ducking immediately as Dante's beloved office chair came flying through the air. Lady and Dante were too busy quarreling to notice the audience and Nero sighed again.

Vergil was quite shocked to find the girl which he had met during the Temen-ni-gru incident. Forgetting her unique appearance and strong will was an impossible feat, but he was amazed to see that she still stuck together with Dante. Nero fired a shot from his revolver which immediately had the two previously quarreling idiots frozen in their tracks.

"Nero?" Lady said before she noticed someone behind him.

She squinted to make out the person and her mismatched eyes widened, her pupils narrowing as she quickly shot forward with her gun aimed straight at Vergil who stood calmly behind him while she roared "You!" Lady was stunned however to find her arm captured by Nero and the gun twisted out of it before she reached the man and she snarled.

"Out of my way Nero!" She snarled and Nero glared at her.

He eyed her with malice for raising a gun at Vergil before he promptly dragged her off to the couch, Lady protesting loudly spouting curses along the way. Dante had been confused as to why Lady had seemingly attacked Nero as he had not seen the person behind Nero. Now however he was glued to the spot, eyes wide as he stared at a brother he had thought to be dead. He sent out his energy in a hesitant manner, afraid of what he would find but when he felt Vergil's familiar energy respond he was gone from his spot in an instant.

Vergil was pushed back a couple of steps at the sheer force which Dante threw himself with, and he stood frozen for a while unsure of what to do as Dante embraced him tightly. He could feel his little brother shaking slightly.

"I thought you were gone," Dante snarled and Vergil smiled sadly at his brother, his arms finally returning the embrace.

"I know," Vergil said before tightening his hold around Dante which made the younger twin look up into Vergil's eyes.

"I won't ask you for forgiveness little brother," Vergil began.

"But know that I am truly sorry for what I did and that I deeply regret my actions towards you and this town when I raised Temen-ni-gru, and everything before that as well," Vergil said.

A soft look was present in the elder's eyes, but it was mixed with regret and sadness and Dante could feel a piece of his soul wake up as his energy mingled with that of his twins for the first time in so long. Vergil suddenly found himself on the floor after having been hit by Dante and he looked up into his little brothers eyes. Dante's blue eyes showed hurt, anger, relief and happiness all at once.

"That's for leaving me here all alone you bastard," Dante growled his voice shaky.

"I guess I deserved that one," Vergil chuckled before accepting Dante's outstretched hand. Nero had watched the entire display with a soft and amused look in his eyes, while Lady had watched in astonishment and anger.

"You're just going to forgive him like that! He's pure evil, he killed my father!" Lady screeched and finally tore free from Nero's grip.

This time the one to defend Vergil was not Nero but Dante, who promptly gutted Lady with his fist making the woman collapse onto the floor. Vergil took it upon himself to properly apologize to the woman although he felt no regret for having killed her crazy father.

"I do not ask you to forgive me, but I was not in a correct state of mind at the time. I deeply apologize for my actions and your loss," Vergil spoke in a formal manner bowing to Lady.

Lady looked stunned for a moment before she hissed and got up, shooting for the door. They all winced when the loud bang of the doors being slammed shut rang in their over sensitive ears and soon the roar of Lady's motorbike could be heard as she drove out of the alley which led into the shop. None of them paid her any mind and Nero waited calmly for them to join him at the couch before he smiled.

"Well that went well," he said with a smile as Dante and Vergil sat down on opposite sides of the table.

"You have a lot of explaining to do Nero and Vergil," Dante said and eyed the two.

A long hour of explaining followed and it wasn't long before Dante and Vergil were caught up in conversations of the past, rebuilding their shattered bond little by little and Nero merely watched with a pleased smile. Little by little he could see the deep sadness which had always lingered in Dante's eyes disappear and he now realized he had done the right thing when he saved Vergil.

With a soft smile he quietly climbed the stairs without the brothers noticing him and he made his way to his old bedroom which he had used when he first moved in with Dante as his business partner. It was a bit dusty but he didn't care, and he lazily plopped down on the beat up old bed and let his eyes slip closed. Not too long after sleep had grasped him and he was caught up in a land of eternal dreams.

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**Third chapter people! I want to say thanks to anyone who has favorite/followed this story so early on, and huge thanks to those of you who review. Reviews are my fuel for writing so please continue posting them ;)**

**Ja ne!**


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